Cue for Treason

This was a brilliant and intricate story and I highly enjoyed it! It has been some time since I read a Tudor themed novel and, even though this is mainly for Young Adults, I LOVE the setting, the plot, and the Shakespeare/players tie-in. Some of the plot twists were a little predictable, but I was impressed with how many plot twists the author could fit into one book without it seeming repetitive! 
This book has great characters- the very last paragraph made me SO happy! (But you have to have read the whole thing for it to be so sweet and wonderful, so no looking ahead. ;))
Interesting descriptions of the Cumberland countryside lent an authentic feel to this gripping and mysterious tale of a young boy determined to put a stop to a band of treasonous men if it's the last thing he does- which, in a few cases, it almost is!  
Any and all historical fiction (Elizabethan/Shakespearean) lovers will enjoy this book, and I would especially recommend to YA boys. 

Sincerely,

The Daughter of Highland Hall

Love love love this book!!!!!! What a great sequel!!!
I really appreciate Carrie's ability to write a sweet, touching romance without dwelling on the physical aspect. Her novels are clean, uplifting, and vivid glimpses into the past!
A set of very real characters lend an encouraging and challenging point of view that all of us can apply to those around us.
Mature Christians will be strengthened, young Christians will be inspired, and those who do not know Jesus will be introduced to our loving Saviour.
I so look forward to continuing the Highland Hall saga in 2015!!! :D

Sincerely,

Miss Armistead Makes Her Choice

I'm so happy that Ashworth has continued to add novels to this series!!! There are so many characters and each one so different from the others- I enjoy every story so much and there are endless possibilities for more- I hope you don't stop, Heidi! ;) My favorite is and always will be the first: Miss Dellacourt Speaks Her Mind; but this may well be my second! I love the cast of characters, and the different cultures lend a unique element. There is always at least one character that surprises me in each book, and I'm always on the look out for who it will be that turns the story around by some uncovered secret so that all works out in the end.
Heidi Ashworth has a style that includes everything a regency novel should have, and her new releases automatically move up on my to-read list as soon as I have them in my possession! Which leads me to give a huge Thank You to my wonderful friend, Sophie (Laughing with Lizzie)! This was a perfect birthday present, and I'm so glad we've been through this series together! :D <3

Sincerely,

A Whisper of Danger

I love Catherine Palmer's writing style! I love that in her series she has a wonderful sense of continuity, but not repetitiveness (both in plot and characters) -there is a difference; one is appreciated, the other is annoying. Haha ;) 

I absolutely love the setting! A huge -and inherited- mansion full of masterpieces and mystery tucked away in the thick jungle undergrowth of a tiny village in Zanzibar, East Africa - with a clear, refreshingly safe and inviting lagoon right out back. (That just so happens to be the burial site of an 1800's shipwreck.)

Just as with the first book in this series, the character development and eventual growth is brilliant- and realistic. There was quite the range of characters, too! Jessica Thornton, our heroine- sister of Tillie from Kiss of Adventure- is the "single" mom of highly intelligent and highly adventurous ten-year-old Splinter; a bit paranoid over him and their well being, Jess is a bit of a work-worn and starving- though talented- artist.
In steps the hero of our story- marine archaeologist Rick McTaggert- who also just so happens to be the long lost husband of, you guessed it, Jessie Thornton.
Jessie- for her son's good as well as her own- must learn to let go of her bitterness, forgive, and ultimately rely on God for all of her needs- which includes a deeper relationship with Him. 

The pace of the story was perfect; not confusingly fast, but definitely not too slow, either. Everything moved along nicely, with each situation getting resolved in good time with no loose strings. 
The ending was rather abrupt yet extremely peaceful. Here the story has been going along with inner (as well as outer) turmoil with issues regarding trust, bitterness, confusion, fear- not to mention the fact that someone in your midst is potentially a threat to your life and you can't for the world figure out who! (Another absolutely brilliant factor to this story, I might add! I never would have seen it coming.) Then, all of a sudden, everything comes to light...everything is resolved...everyone is safe...and all you had to do was trust, and put everything in God's hands. Even as I was reading the last chapter of this book I had no idea how everything was going to come together, and then, before I knew it, it had. I've never read an ending pieced together this way- almost too easy, but so satisfying. Genius.
Each aspect of the story-line went hand-in-hand with Jessica's personal life, giving the reader a good feel for what she was going through, and strengthening you right along with her.

Sincerely,

To Everything A Season

What a gorgeous cover. :}

Lauraine Snelling has a much slower style of writing than I prefer and it was hard for me to enjoy the moment by moment descriptions of the characters daily lives- I'm sure that it's refreshing and calming to some readers, but I got pretty bored. It was kind of strange to me that the hero wasn't even mentioned until chapter 5, and the heroine not until chapter 16...Haha 
To Everything a Season was super clean, and there were parts that made me smile, but overall it just wasn't my style.

The only truly negative thing here (besides my writing preferences) would be that the author seems to be introducing a multi-religion mindset, and characters that are lukewarm and negatively neutral. Again- that's just not what I like in my books. 

I've heard good things about some of this authors earlier works, so perhaps sometime when I need a low key read I'll give one of those a try. :) 

Sincerely,

Luke 11:9

Blessings,

Incognito

      

The fact I read "Incognito" in one day may give you an idea of whether or not I enjoyed it... Yay you for guessing correctly! ;) This book was SO much fun! Fast-paced and with no boring parts- I couldn't put it down! I laughed out loud quite a few times, the situations and witty dialogue being my cup of tea! *Spoiler(?)*There were 2 kisses in this book that I would have been ok without, but that's really my only complaint and they got out of the way pretty quick. ;) I am really looking forward to reading Suzanne's 2 other regencies in the very near future, and highly recommend this fun and bright comedy to my fellow regency fans. (I could rant on about how good this was for a while so I'll just stop now and let you discover for yourself how fun it was. ;)) Sincerely,

The Coffee Campaign

~*~*~*~

This weekend I took the time to finish a trilogy which I had started awhile back (with the second book..because I didn't know there was a first and third...#blondemoment) and I wish I hadn't put these on hold!!!! They were wonderful!! "Love Inspired Hostoricals" quickly became my favorite source for clean Christian regencies when I read "Engaging the Earl" by Mandy Goff, and Regina Scott quickly became one of my favorite regency authors when I read "The Wife Campaign". These novels are full of wit, humor, mystery/plot, spiritual thoughts and encouragement, inspirational character growth, sweet/clean romance, and a charming peak into the regency world! This particular series has a very fun cast of "downstairs characters" as well as earls and dukes, lords and ladies...having the servants (particularly ladies maids and valets) orchestrate the matchmaking behind the scenes was a brilliant idea! They aren't heard from overly much and aren't constantly on the scene, however their influence and encouragement through subtle- and sometimes a bit more bold- hints and respectful observations to their masters is clearly visible. 

Each of these books were refreshingly captivating and I recommend them to all regency lovers!

Happy reading (and coffee consuming)!!!

Colorful-er and Colorful-er!

Have a very merry unbirthday!

Hatter

This was a brilliant work of art! Coleman keeps to the original Carroll style making for a madly wild ride of randomness! I really enjoyed reading about the life of "literature's most lovable lunatic" prior to Alice in Wonderland. It brought a whole new and understandable light to his character and I loved all of Coleman's subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) references or set-ups-for the classic; including characters! I loved spotting parallels in personality or appearance that gave their true "future" role away. The Cheshire Cat playing a part from the very beginning was genius! Loved the parts with him.
The writing style was fascinating and I was super happy there was no profanity in the dialogue! :D
(Btw, check out that purple top hat- amazing, huh?!)
This really gave me a new perspective on my favorite classic that is actually believable (well, in a Wonderland sort of way ;)) and didn't ruin my taste for any of it- it actually made me want to read Alice in Wonderland again, specifically to read it with this prologue in mind.

Sincerely,